A multimedia experience refers to the use of media in an interactive environment. The media generally include one or more types of information content, including for example, text, audio, graphics, animation, and video. During a multimedia experience, the media is presented to an end-user according to a logical sequence that can be affected by the end-user's actions.
A multimedia experience can be modeled as a flowchart that defines the logical sequence for playback of the multimedia experience. Such a flowchart generally consists of a sequence of linked cells that directly or indirectly reference media assets to be played by an application in a predefined order. The selection of which media referenced in the cells will be played can depend, in part, upon the choices made by end-users during each playback session of the multimedia experience. Flowcharts can be prepared by hand using pencil and paper or can be prepared electronically using a computer. Some software applications require a user to build a flowchart by drawing graphical shapes and then typing text into each graphical shape.
Depending upon the sophistication and complexity of the multimedia experience, a flowchart may require a large investment in programming time and configuration to achieve a desired result. It is desirable to provide tools, methods and systems which can be utilized to aid an experience designer or programmer in the creation and design of the flowcharts.